The Ground Penetrating Radar Blog from SiteScan

Everyone has seen news stories about construction accidents that resulted in oil and gas leaks and explosions, fires, electrocutions, and major power outages. Known as external force damage, these run-ins with underground utilities can cost lives as well as huge sums of money. While avoiding such catastrophes is probably the best and most obvious reason to perform a Bay Area concrete scan before any excavation, it is not the only reason. Certainly, many excavation and construction accidents can be preempted by calling Underground Service Alert (USA) North 811, northern California’s utility location one call center. 811 is useful service provided...

In the Bay area utility location markers in a rainbow of colors liven up sidewalks and streets. Those location markers indicate the presence of utility lines beneath the surface, but to really “see” what’s down there requires specialized technology. Modern excavation construction projects depend heavily on ground penetrating radar (GPR). As the name suggests, ground penetrating radar employs radar technology. The acronym stands for radio detection and ranging. Basically, radar is the transmission of a signal via antenna, which bounces off objects in its path. A receiver picks up the signal on the rebound. The technology has been around for...

In a city the size of Los Angeles, the ground beneath your feet hides a secret world of tunnels, conduits, pipes, and archaeological evidence. Miles of abandoned tunnels from the old Pacific Electric Red Car and the Los Angeles Railway Yellow Car lines snake their way below ground along with long unused service tunnels. Forgotten graves await discovery. Tar pits bubble. Plus, it’s fascinating just to imagine the tangle of underground utility lines and communication systems that make modern life tick along as we expect. But for anyone planning a construction project, simply imagining the subsurface will never do. In...

Never known for its distinctive skyline, the profile of Los Angeles is undergoing a massive face-lift thanks to a number of downtown construction projects. More than three-dozen major building projects are in the works, and Los Angeles utility location markers, cranes, and concrete trucks are everywhere. Admittedly, the construction projects in the already congested downtown area cause a world of hassles for pedestrians and drivers trying to wind their way through the ever-changing maze, but the money and jobs pouring into the city are staggering. Not since the “Roaring Twenties” has Los Angeles experienced such a building boom. The explosion...

High tech and affluent, San Jose basks in the heart of Silicon Valley. Gleaming modern structures stand shoulder to shoulder with ancient Spanish missions in the San Francisco Bay Area’s mild, sunny climate. In the city’s center, dozens of building projects are underway, but the proximity of Mineta San Jose Airport’s final approach imposes unbending restrictions on height. Buildings are limited to 24 stories in San Jose’s southern end and only 18 stories nearer the airport. As a result, architects are turning to unique design plans to avoid a “blocky” skyline, and parking is going underground. Now, more than ever,...

San Francisco boasts so many iconic images that it’s hard to isolate one that best represents the city. When you hear the name San Francisco, do you picture the famous cable cars? The Golden Gate Bridge? Chinatown? Alcatraz? Lombard Street? The Mission District? Haight Ashbury? While historical structures dominate the list, San Francisco is the furthest thing from a city stuck in the past. From the Presidio and the Golden Gate Bridge across the Bay to Alameda and Oakland, the area is bristling with construction projects. The city is looking up—literally. Between the Mission District and Nob Hill, twenty high-rise...

The city of San Diego has deep roots. In fact, the first Europeans ever to set foot on the west coast came ashore at what was to become San Diego. The architecture of Old Town and the Mission San Diego de Alcalá bear witness to her Spanish history. Each year the city plays host to millions of visitors who flock to Sea World, The USS Midway, and the world-renowned San Diego Zoo in Balboa Park. As San Diego nears her 250th anniversary, the city is looking forward, and Centre City is exploding with construction activity. As of early 2016, 6.4...

If you want to get the most accurate cost of ground penetrating radar (GPR) services in the Greater Los Angeles area, determine the likelihood of success, and estimate the time involved, there are a few things to know. These factors all impact the efficiency and effectiveness of GPR. Offering accurate information up front will determine the type of equipment needed and allow the technician to realistically predict the length of time a job will take. When scheduling any GPR services, you should be able to clearly describe the area to be scanned. Are there any obstructions that will make reaching...

Many different professions rely on GPR for concrete scanning in order to conduct their work more safely and efficiently. Since the mid-1980’s, ground penetrating radar has made it widely possible to locate utilities, measure the depth of a concrete slab, or “see” what lies inside a concrete wall. Today, instead of going in blindly with a jack hammer or picking up a drill and making an educated guess, architects, builders, plumbers, and electricians can perform their work with confidence that they won’t put employees at an unnecessary risk or destroy something beneath the surface, causing expensive delays. Concrete scanning before...

Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) has proven invaluable for builders, engineers, and utility companies. GPR uses electromagnetic energy to locate what lies beneath the surface, calculating depth by the travel time of the reflected signal. One of its primary uses is utility location, although professionals in a variety of fields value its capabilities. The technology isn’t as new as it sounds. Using GPR to see beneath the surface of the earth may seem like the latest in 21st century technology, but it actually has its roots early in the 1900’s. Only six years after the original patent for radar was filed...

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